Wheelchairs must be made to be extremely durable and robust since patients often use them daily for virtually all the time spent by the patient out of bed. The structural elements of conventional wheelchairs are typically made from segments using bent high grade, high strength stainless steel metal tubing, which are welded together using modern techniques. The construction requires skilled workers and metal working technologies that are well beyond the unskilled workers and simple metal workshops typically found in third world countries. The cost of manufacture, the cost of tooling, and the level of skill of the fabricator is high even in developed countries where demanding construction requirements can be met. Even if these materials, tooling and skills were available at third world manufacturing sites, the resulting costs would be far beyond that which could be afforded by a third world population. The result to disabled persons in the third world, who are not able to afford a wheelchair means that the disabled person must be bodily carried by a parent, sibling relative or friend to any location within or outside the home or even the patient's sleeping situs. Thus, in the third world, a disability typically means that the disabled person is condemned to a life of virtual home confinement with no access to educational, health or occupational locations or opportunities.